There is one rule I always live by. It’s a rule that keeps me safe, makes me feel brave, and drives my best friend Trooper CRAZY!

And that rule is…. ALWAYS CHOOSE YOUR HIDING PLACE BEFORE YOU PLAY WITH THE BIG DOGS!

See those big dogs sometimes don’t understand how big they actually are. And they also don’t always realize how small you actually are. So when you have a PLAN B incase things get a little too rough, life is just a little bit easier.

Trooper is never thrilled when I decide to take a trip into my hiding places, but even as much as I love playing with him – sometimes he doesn’t know his own size either.

I mean just check out this photo of him accidentally kicking me the other day when we were playing on the farm.

If you didn’t know already, I’m the kind of dog that can destroy the average toy in mere minutes. No make that seconds! Stuffed toys are totally my jam, and I love pulling off eyes, ripping tails, and putting a pile of cotton all over the floor. So needless to say I don’t get those kinds of toys very often. You can even check out a post I did last year about all the toys that have made it into my “toy graveyard” – as even sometimes the tough ones eventually do.

Now being that I’m such a tough chewer – I’ve learned over the years which toys seem to hold up much better to my tough chewing ways.

So here’s my list of 10 Tough Toys for all the tough dogs out there! (contains some affiliate links)

This tough chew toy is one of my all-time favorites. It comes in two different sizes with flavors of bacon, chicken, and peanut butter. If your dog loves to chew they’ll love the Benebone. Note that is does wear down over time, and will eventually need replacing.

Planet Dog makes lots of great toys that are strong enough for tough chewers like me, but one of my favorites is this Raspberry. It’s the perfect size for me and it’s especially good when my mom fills it up with a little peanut butter. This size lasts quite a long time, and eventually some of mine have needed replacing (if only because I chew on them so often).

I got one of these for Christmas this year and it’s essentially a rubber wrap that goes around a dog chew (they sell them with rawhide or himalayan dog chews inside) to make it last longer. I’ve also found some tough all-natural bones at my local pet store that seem to fit nicely into my Ruffhides wrap.

The Snoop is an awesome treat-dispensing toy for dogs that is made with toughness by Planet Dog. I spend hours playing with this toy at the shop, and to make it even harder to get the cookies out my mom stuffs a Planet Dog ball in the opening (just like above).

When the Chase n’ Chomp arrived in a past Barkbox, my mom wasn’t sure it would hold up to my sharp, shark-like teeth. And although it no longer squeaks it’s still hanging around my house, and remains one of my favorite balls to play fetch with (probably because it’s extra squishy).

The Pickle Pocket is a tough rubber toy that that has slits in it to hold treats. This is great if you don’t feel like breaking out the messy peanut butter and I could spend hours just trying to get a few treats out.

The Zogoflex is another toy that’s made of tough rubber that your dog won’t be able to chew through. Granted it’s not my top pick for a toy (I think I’d grab a Benebone or Nylabone over one of these given the choice), but mine has certainly held up over the years and is one of those toys that will be around forever.

So, it’s the night before Christmas and you forgot to get a gift for your dog! Not that that would ever really happen right? Well just incase I’ve whipped up this simple DIY for a Christmas Cracker for your Dog that you can make with items from around your house!

Supplies:

Tissue Paper or Newspaper

String or Ribbon

Toilet Paper Rolls

Small dog treats

Step 1: Stuff a few cookies into an empty toilet paper roll.

Step 2: Roll up your toilet paper roll in tissue paper and twist off the ends.

Step 3: Tie with festive string or ribbon.

Step 4: Let your dog have a blast ripping open their Christmas Cracker!

Oh what fun it is to play with my new Christmas Cracker today!

*make sure to always supervise your pet and do not allow them to ingest anything they shouldn’t

Every year I look forward to a very special event in my home town. And that special event is the holiday Christmas parade! And lucky for me I always have a front row seat right outside my shop window in town!

Of course when the parade starts I’m always the first one out the door to cheer for all my favorite floats and parade attendees.

I’m always sure to sing along with the school bands in my best cheerful Christmas voice – because singing loudly for all to hear is the best way to spread Christmas Cheer!

Pretty colors, holiday happiness – it’s what makes this time of year oh so special.

Also, in case you were wondering, don’t worry, I wasn’t the only pup in attendance during the Christmas parade. Just check out this pup who took one for the team and dressed up as one of Santa’s reindeer! He looked so convincing I almost asked him for directions to the North Pole!

But the very best part of the holiday Christmas Parade is always when Santa arrives!

I made sure to shout out my Christmas list as we rode by…..incase he missed my other 5 letters I mailed to the North Pole!

Recently my mom decided to dip into the idea of “buying in bulk” (you know like Sam’s Club and Bj’s Wholesale) after she read a post on one of her favorite blogs about a company called Boxed. She liked it so much that I’ve decided to share the fun we had with it (as in this is not a sponsored post) incase it might interest some of you.

My mom says Boxed seems to be the way to go to shop in bulk because there are no membership fees, you don’t have to go to the store and lug all those heavy items to and from the cart, and the prices even come out cheaper when my mom compared them to places like Amazon. Plus shipping is free on your first order, and on subsequent orders when you meet a minimum for your area (mine is $60).

Boxed even carries a few pet items as well. And while they don’t have a huge variety right now, they did say they add new products all the time.

But really I wanted to share Boxed with all of you because there is one major benefit to shopping with them…..

…..the boxes!! Seriously, you’ll never guess how much fun one of these big boxes can be.

Yea, lets just say I’m hoping mom shops from Boxed more often.

If you’d like to get your dog some big boxes to play in too you can use the code ZKB8A and save $20 on your first order from Boxed.

Disclaimer: This is NOT A SPONSORED POST, I just thought it would be fun to share my boxed adventures and thought some of you might enjoy hearing about this great website. Coupon code is a special referral code for all my friends.

Every year I host an Epic Halloween Party at my house, where all the party goers are required to dress up within a certain theme. This year’s theme was dead people, as in celebrities, historical figures, or characters that are no longer living or met their fate in a movie or tv show. As you already know, I dressed up as the American Icon, Evel Knievel.

My friends over at Pretty Fluffy have announced the launch of their online boutique – the Pretty Fluffy Shop. With six original prints for dog lovers everywhere, it’s the perfect present for any pet lover. (I know what to get my mom for Christmas this year!)

Whether you’re a ‘Crazy Dog Lady’ or believe ‘Dogs are a Girl’s Best Friend’ there is a style and sentiment to suit everyone.